Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Warning Small Rant! LOL

Hey guys its been over a year since my last post I believe (I was inquiring about a wedding day scent) and alot of you guys chose Puredistance M. I eventually went to L'Air Du Desert which was a beautiful choice for my special day. I finally got my nose to Puredistance and that also is a luxurious frag for men.... Impression good enough to get in on a split for about 15ml (someone split a big bottle of it Dan Mickers).

I just got my nose on Bel Ami by Hermes..... and I have to say.......Roja Dove and the Puredistance Team need to be ashamed of themselves LOL. They took and 27 year old frag and trumped the price of it by almost $500 and put the "derived from the finest leather of an Aston Martin" to Justify it. I wished someone would've said try BelAmi by Hermes..... That would be my power interview, no jokes and games scent.

The "master perfumer's" at Puredistance need to give Jean-Louis Sieuzac a round of applause and credits. You forget he also mastered the classic Fahrenheit by Dior!

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Bel Ami is definitely in my Top 10 favorites. Which formulation did you try, vintage or current? If you havent tried the vintage then prepare to be even more amazed. It is much richer with a more sensual leather note. Its one of those frags that almost demands a suit and tie be worn with it. I was pretty appalled by Puredistance M in the same way you were. Its a wonderful frag no doubt, but for that price it should be completely original and unique.

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

The similarity is there but where Bel Ami (vintage) has a dissonant citrus-leather combo, M feels plushier, smoother and more refined. I honestly couldn't choose which one to get over the other. They're both well worth owning IMO.

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Originally Posted by alfarom

The similarity is there but where Bel Ami (vintage) has a dissonant citrus-leather combo, M feels plushier, smoother and more refined. I honestly couldn't choose which one to get over the other. They're both well worth owning IMO.

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Originally Posted by SymbianBlack

Warning Small Rant! LOL

They took and 27 year old frag and trumped the price of it by almost $500 and put the "derived from the finest leather of an Aston Martin" to Justify it. I wished someone would've said try BelAmi by Hermes..... That would be my power interview, no jokes and games scent.

I agree, the differences in scent aren't worth the huge price differential.

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Originally Posted by hedonist222

Agreed. M is plush. Opulent.
Bel Ami is citric.

That's a good summary. I have the old formulation of Bel Ami and M, both are really good but M is much more modern feeling and IMO, a much better frag all around. I think it's worth the money and is one of the very few frags I wear often after sampling hundreds. M is much more concentrated vs Bel Ami as well.

I do not doubt M was inspired by Bel Ami, but the similarities do not detract from M in my opinion.

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

M is a great replacement for vintage Bel Ami (if you can't get it) and way better than current Bel Ami (regarding longevity, richness, etc). Even in comparison with vintage (I have 10 ml of it), I think M has a different enough scent (and better) to warrant a purchase if you can afford it.

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Originally Posted by alfarom

The similarity is there but where Bel Ami (vintage) has a dissonant citrus-leather combo, M feels plushier, smoother and more refined. I honestly couldn't choose which one to get over the other. They're both well worth owning IMO.

Originally Posted by gtsb

M is a great replacement for vintage Bel Ami (if you can't get it) and way better than current Bel Ami (regarding longevity, richness, etc). Even in comparison with vintage (I have 10 ml of it), I think M has a different enough scent (and better) to warrant a purchase if you can afford it.

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Originally Posted by SymbianBlack

bump

Every once and a while a vintage formulation will pop up on ebay--look out for the minis (but make sure they have been well stored) since they are usually vintage formulations. Vintage are rounded oval bottles, newer formulation are square.

Also you might be able to find people selling decants of the vintage formulation (e.g. perfumed court), but that will probably be expensive. Might be cheaper than anything you find on ebay though...

Re: Bel Ami and Puredistance M

Originally Posted by alfarom

The similarity is there but where Bel Ami (vintage) has a dissonant citrus-leather combo, M feels plushier, smoother and more refined. I honestly couldn't choose which one to get over the other. They're both well worth owning IMO.

This. Also the current version of Bel Ami, though decent, is a lot weaker and less interesting than the vintage. M is lot smoother.
As a woman, I feel more comfortable wearing M than Bel Ami.
That is not to say M smells ''ladylike'' at all.